Gwangjang Market 🇰🇷

Gwangjang Market, historically known as Dongdaemun Market, is a prominent traditional commercial center situated in the Jongno District of Seoul, South Korea. Spanning an area of 42,000 square meters, it ranks among the oldest and largest traditional markets in the nation. The complex accommodates over 5,000 shops and employs approximately 20,000 workers, drawing around 65,000 daily visitors.

The establishment of the marketplace traces back to 1905, following the Eulsa Treaty during the Japanese colonial occupation. In response to foreign control over Namdaemun Market, a group of Korean investors and wealthy merchants formed the Gwangjang Corporation on July 5, 1905, pooling 100,000 won to purchase land. Built upon the site of the former Bae O Gae morning market, the venue opened as Dongdaemun Market, becoming the first permanent marketplace in South Korea to operate every day of the week. It was officially renamed Gwangjang Market in 1960, deriving its name from a 9,900-square-meter shopping section constructed between 1957 and 1959 between the Gwangkyo and Jangkyo bridges. The managing market association, founded in 1911, remains one of the oldest operating corporate entities in the country.

While the market initially specialized exclusively in agricultural produce and seafood, its commercial scope expanded significantly as the site grew. Presently, between 1,500 and 2,000 vendors supply a diverse assortment of merchandise, including fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, baked goods, textiles, apparel, handicrafts, kitchenware, souvenirs, and traditional Korean medicinal items.

Gwangjang Market is particularly celebrated for its extensive array of dining stalls and eateries offering traditional Korean dishes. The site is most widely recognized for serving bindaetteok, which are mung bean pancakes, alongside mayak gimbap. Additional local food items featured at the market stalls include kal-guksu and gejang.

The vibrant food culture and atmosphere of Gwangjang Market have brought it international television recognition. It appeared in a 2014 episode of the show Running Man, hosted a dumpling-rolling task on The Amazing Race Australia 4, and was profiled in the Seoul episode of the Netflix series Street Food. Visitors can easily reach the commercial complex by subway, arriving via the Jongno 5-ga or Euljiro 4-ga metro stations.